The Switch-less Light Switch

The Switch-less Light Switch

The robot turns on the lights when it detects a person entering the room

Matthew

I used a distance sensor to detect any object within a 25 cm range, whether that be the door or a person. This way, if someone opens the door on the far side towards the hinges, the robot will still turn on the lights because it detects the door. Once the robot detects an object within 25 cm of the sensor, the servo rotates to press down on an eraser that is on top of the light switch, which in turn switches on the light. Then the robot waits .5 seconds and resets the servo back to its original position.

13 thoughts on “The Switch-less Light Switch

  • August 7, 2020 at 1:31 PM
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    Personally I loved the idea of this. I see there is a black wrap-around thing around the wires. I’m curious what this is for and the function of this.

  • August 7, 2020 at 1:31 PM
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    I really liked the ingenuity in the design, such as drilling into the wall and using the weights on the servos.


    –Ian

  • August 7, 2020 at 1:32 PM
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    I loved the idea. I think it was really smart to position it the way you did because despite the users distance from the sensor, the sensor will still pickup entry into the room because of the door.

  • August 7, 2020 at 1:33 PM
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    I really liked how both the motion of people and the door was thought out to trigger the light switch. I’m also very impressed with your commitment to actually mount The Switch-less Light Switch to your wall. I can wait to see the next revision with the ability to turn off the switch!

    • August 7, 2020 at 3:56 PM
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      Thanks Marco, it was definitely a challenge to find a way to not have to drill a hole in my wall but in the end, the outcome of the project wouldn’t have been the same without some sacrifice

  • August 7, 2020 at 2:06 PM
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    I like how this device could be used for accessibility, as somebody with no arms would have a much easier time turning the lights on and off since all they would need to do would be to get close.

  • August 7, 2020 at 2:07 PM
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    The robot is well designed, but maybe a suggestion: have the robot turn off the light when you walk out of the room. I know a lot of people who forget to turn off the lights when they leave (myself included), and this would be a great help!

    • August 7, 2020 at 3:58 PM
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      Thanks for the suggestion, Eric! I was planning on adding that but decided not to because it would bring along further problems such as accidentally turning off the lights if someone else walks in the room or if the door slams shut from the wind. Eventually I will have it be able to turn off the lights but until then it can just turn them on

  • August 7, 2020 at 3:46 PM
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    I like the way you used the eraser to flick the switch on and off. That’s really clever especially when you might not have the greatest hardware available. Nice job!

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